Here in this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about Costco affiliate program.
I believe this is a very good alternative to DHgate affiliate program in terms of providing wholesale prices to buyers.
Although, there are a few differences which I would like to point out, you can also check the DHgate affiliate program review, to compare and contrast.
Wait! Don’t leave yet. We have a lot to explain here first.
Overview of Costco
Costco is a membership warehouse created to update members about the prices of brand-name merchandise.
They give updates about the best possible prices or even the cheapest to get high quality products for wholesale off.
And their kind of retail services are offered to every other big-box retail store, not direct individuals.
The likes of Target, Overstock and Amazon offer personalized delivery stores.
The company has over hundreds of stores around the world being amongst the biggest retailers in the world.
And the operation stretches into the US, Canada, Mexico, UK and even some asian countries including china.
What is Costco Affiliate Program?
The Costco affiliate program is a Cost Per Sale affiliate program hosted on CJ network and FlexOffer.
Hence, you earn for every purchase of products made using your affiliate link.
The commission rate for the affiliate program is a one time commission rate.
If Amazon, Target and Khol’s are offering recurring commission in their affiliate program, then Costco should be able to do that too.
What are the Products You can Promote in the Costco Affiliate Program?
The products you are promoting in the affiliate program are the usual sets of products you will find on Ecommerce marketplaces.
Except for the fact that they are sold at wholesale prices and bulk purchase.
And also, those products are brand name products. Hence, your audience is already aware of this brand’s credibility.
Nevertheless, you can promote any of the category of products below:
- Appliances
- Clothing & Luggage
- Beauty
- Furniture
- Home improvement
- Gourmet foods
- Floral items
- Home & kitchen
- Sports & fitness
- Computer
- Groceries & pets
- Toys & books
- Electronics
- Jewellery & watches
- Patio & lawn
- Baby
- Home services (installations)
- Gift cards
- Mattresses
- Health & personal care
- Tires & Auto
How to Sign Up For Costco Affiliate Program
As explained earlier the affiliate program is hosted and managed by Impact Radius and CJ affiliate network…
Even though signing up via CJ network seems to be the best option of the two.
First of all, sign up to CJ network if you don’t have an account before.
Then, fill in the form with the required information. Make sure your website is fully optimised to increase your chances of approval into the program.
Once you are signed up, you’d have to wait for 48hours to 72 hours to receive an email update about your application.
Costco Affiliate Program Cookie Duration
The cookie duration for Costco affiliate programs is session based.
Wait? I will explain what session based cookie duration means.
Session based cookie duration means that the cookie will only be active when your referral is on Costco.com. The moment they leave the website, the cookie will disappear.
Hence, the cookie duration might not even be up to an hour, since most people would just leave the site if they can’t find any worthy thing to buy.
And again the conversion rate would be very low.
Sincerely, it is very disadvantageous.
Commission Rate of the Costco Affiliate Program
The commission rate for Costco affiliate program is only 5% of membership charges.
That is if your referral should sign up for the standard membership purchase you will only earn $3 as your commission rate.
Similarly, if your referral should sign up for the higher-priced executive membership purchase, you will only earn $6 as your commission rate.
Alternatively, they don’t even pay commission per product sale via your affiliate link.
The commission rate for the affiliate program is terrible.
The fact that other e-commerce stores pay per product purchase, makes it even more difficult to see the commission structure of the affiliate program as Outrageous.
Is Costco Affiliate Program Worth It?
I don’t usually condemn affiliate programs, but in my own book, the Costco affiliate program is not worth it.
Firstly, the affiliate program makes use of a session based cookie duration.
Even, the commission rate is nothing to write home about compared to Target, Amazon and Ebay affiliate programs.
The only advantageous part of the affiliate program is the unique price range.
So, instead of putting in the worm for a bizarre affiliate program, there are better options including Amazon, Ebay and Walmart affiliate programs.
Pros And Cons of the Costco Affiliate Program
Pros
- Strong brand recognition : Costco was named amongst the top 5 best retail companies to try in 2020. Hence, this is a strong brand we are talking about.
- Unique model: The model is for wholesalers, bulk buys and family buys. It’s unlike most e-commerce stores.
Cons
- Bad cookie duration: In my 3 years career as an affiliate marketer, this is the first time I’m coming across session based cookie duration from an online store.
- Poor commission rate: Paying per referral is definitely not what any affiliate marketer is looking for in an online store. Even, the commission paid per referral is still nothing to write home about.
Alternatives Of Costco Affiliate Program
I hope you will understand that I’m not trying to push you away from the Costco affiliate program.
But, the chances of you reaching $1000 monthly from the affiliate program is small.
Hence, it’s not worth it. I would rather recommend alternatives to the affiliate program:
- Khol’s affiliate program – The review
- Overstock affiliate program – The review
- Lenovo affiliate program – The review
- DHgate affiliate program – The review
- Target affiliate program – The review
Wrapping Up
Costco is a big brand, but the affiliate program is poorly designed to make conversions and returns difficult for affiliates. It is the online store version of Envato affiliate program – Posing same difficulties.
After all, you can check out our list of some other affiliate programs with good commission rate and higher returns.
